Lielit
Adam’s blood-stained hand twitched, but my eyes were drawn back to his neck. Blood gushed out, and the rug beneath it began to soak it up. I started to whimper as I cried. A raw, broken sound that I’d never made before.
It moved.
Hovered above me.
I glanced up with blurred vision.
A monster.
A giant monster.
Blood coated the grey fur around his mouth.
Shuddering sobs erupted from my chest, and I slapped a hand over my mouth to stifle the sounds.
Fear. Horror. And knowing this was my fate.
To die at the hands of a monstrous wolf.
I closed my eyes, wishing I could unsee what had happened, but the darkness made it worse. My stomach lurched, but nothing like the sickness I had feigned this morning.
“Now you know what kind of a monster I am.”
My eyes snapped open, and Blaidd stood where the wolf had.
How?
How could this be possible?
I nodded.
He turned and walked out of the room.
I began to cough and reached for the plastic bowl to vomit up the dinner that Adam had brought for me. Between the sobs and tears, I moved as far as I could from Adam’s body. I clung to the pillows, taking the only comfort I could.
?
?
?
I remained huddled beneath the covers when I heard someone come and remove the body. Then the scrape of the wooden door being dragged along the floor. My body trembled, but this time it had nothing to do with the cold.
From the corner of the covers, I saw Blaidd pick up the bowl of vomit. I closed my eyes as if I could hide away from the beast. More tears slipped silently down my face. I heard him flush the toilet and wash the bowl.
The footsteps grow closer until they stilled.
“Get up,” he said, his voice dull and flat.
My hand trembled as I pushed the covers down. I didn't look at him. I couldn't bring myself to.
He gripped my wrist and peeled back the surgical tape before he eased out the needle. I stared at the drop of blood forming in my arm.
“Go wash up and get back into bed.”
I eased my feet out of the bed and walked around the bed, avoiding the rug where I’d last seen Adam.
I didn't care that I was naked or cold.
I didn't care that my tears wouldn't stop.
My footsteps were slow and steady, padding on the polished tiles until I reached the toilet. In a daze, I washed and brushed my teeth. When I turned to leave, I saw his feet by the doorway.
I couldn't move or look up.
“This is the difference,” he said, walking towards me.
He circled me.
“This is why I own humans,” he whispered close to my ear. “Deep down, they know that they are beneath me.”
He nudged my shoulder, and I stumbled forward.
I shuffled out, and as I moved around the bed, his voice cut through the air.
“Stop. You sleep on this side. The other side is mine.”
I paused at the blood-stained rug. My gaze lifted briefly to the stand holding the saline bag before I stepped carefully around the stain and climbed into bed. The covers were still marked with tiny speckles of blood.
He might have removed the body, but he’d left the blood behind.
A reminder.
The mattress dipped as he climbed in beside me. I lay frozen, waiting—but he didn’t touch me.
A click.
Darkness swallowed the room.
I curled into myself, fighting the tears, lying awake until exhaustion finally dragged me under.
All while lying next to a monster.
?
?
?
When I woke the following morning, I lay still until I realised I could hear him breathing beside me. Only then did I look over my shoulder—see the empty bed—and relax.
My gaze landed on the book Adam had given me.
The pale yellow cover bore the image of a black dog.
James Herbert
Fluke
The story of a dog who thinks he’s a man… or a man who thinks he’s a dog.
The universe was toying with me.
I reached out and turned the book over. As I sat up, I noticed a black dress shirt laid carefully in the centre of the bed. I glanced around the room before lifting it. Beneath it sat a pair of black socks, neatly folded together.
I slipped the shirt on, uncaring that it swallowed me whole.
The socks were soft. Warm.
A small kindness.
One we both knew he could take away from me at any time.
I brushed my teeth and used the toilet, but I didn’t leave. I stood there, staring at myself in the mirror.
My eyes looked haunted.
Heavy with sorrow I couldn’t contain.
In the reflection, I saw my family. And the fear went beyond me. He could truly harm my parents. My grandparents. Anji.
My thoughts slid to Darius. To the death threats.
It had to be him.
I swallowed and turned away from the mirror.
I didn’t like what it showed me.
I padded out of the bathroom, carefully avoiding the rug, and glanced toward the open doorway leading into the hall.
He didn’t need chains or doors to imprison me.
Then I crossed to the window and stared out at the waves crashing violently against the cliffs.
Beyond them lay the vast ocean—stretching past whatever land he’d brought me to.
The longer I stared, the duller I felt. As if someone had stolen all the colour from my life.
I couldn’t find the tenacity I once had.
He’d succeeded in making me a victim.
And he hadn’t lifted a single finger in violence against me.